Texas Tech's Dominic Moreno throws a pitch against Texas during their game on Friday in Lubbock. (Tori Eichberger/AJ Media)

With how No. 12 Texas has pitched this season, giving up even a couple of runs to the Longhorn offense is asking for trouble.

Allowing four in one inning is downright disastrous. And that was just the beginning of a bad night for Texas Tech.

For the second straight Friday, the 24th-ranked Red Raiders got a sub-par performances from starter Dominic Moreno and the bullpen, and the Tech offense continued to struggle with the opponent’s starter as the Longhorns hammered Tech, 11-1, in the opener of a three-game Big 12 Conference series at Rip Griffin Park.

A crowd of 4,206, the third-largest since Rip Griffin Park was renovated prior to the 2012 season, was expecting a pitching duel but instead got a clinic on hitting from the Longhorns.

“A loss is a loss,” a sullen Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock said. “I hate to say it. It’s tough losing a game like that but at the same time we’ve got a game (Saturday) and we’ll be ready to play.”

For the last two weeks, the Red Raiders (21-8, 3-4 in Big 12) have allowed double-digit runs to offense that ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12 coming into the game. Texas entered the weekend having won five straight and hitting .256, but just .185 in three conference games.

UT, however, pounded Tech pitchers for 16 hits, the most allowed by Tech in a game this season, and took advantage of two walks and four hit batters, and it was UT’s left-handed hitters that did most of the damage.

Brooks Marlow, Mark Payton, Collin Shaw and Kacy Clemens combined for 10 hits, five runs and five RBIs. Freshman Tres Barrera had three hits and two doubles, including the back-breaking two-run shot that put the Longhorns up 5-1 in the fifth. Shortstop C.J. Hinojosa was the only Longhorn without a hit, not that it mattered.

“It was just one of those nights,” Texas head coach Augie Garrido said. “We did have a good night and put a lot of balls in play, on a line. It just happened to be one of our nights. Then (Tech) hit the ball good but they never really got the momentum to hit them at people. That all happens to everybody.”

In his last two starts, which have covered a combined 72/3 innings, Moreno (1-5) has surrendered eight runs, all earned, on nine hits with seven walks and four hit batters.

On Friday, he didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, which proved to be the decisive frame in the game. He allowed three earned runs on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts, and he also hit three batters.

Moreno’s troubles started the inning before when he caught a line drive on his bicep, according to Tadlock, and experienced bruising while warming up in the fourth. After being looked at by the trainer, Moreno tried to go, but it proved to be the wrong decision.

Marlow, who tied the game in the third with a leadoff solo home run, opened the fifth with a double, which opened the gates for a four-run fifth inning for the Longhorns (21-6, 2-2).

Moreno was pulled after hitting the next batter, but reliever Dalton Brown couldn’t keep the Longhorns off the scoreboard as Payton put Texas up for good with a single to right-center.

After a fielder’s choice, Collin Shaw singled to right and Tres Barrera doubled to the gap in right-center to make it a 5-1 game.

“We felt like (Moreno) could go back out, he felt like he could go back out,” Tadlock said. “Needless to say, I wish we had that one to do over.”

The Longhorns would go on to score at least one run in each of the final four innings, getting a two-run single from Payton in the sixth, an RBI single from Zane Gurwitz in the seventh, a run-scoring single by Jeremy Montalbano and a bases-loaded walk to Gurwitz in the eighth and a single by Barrera in the ninth to give the freshman a career-high three RBIs.

“Once one guy shows the others that they can do it ... ‘Well, if he can do it, I can do it, too.’” Garrido said. “It’s one of those elementary school mentalities but sometimes that appeals to the players.”

The Red Raiders were never able to build on a solid first inning. With two outs and Jake Barrios at second, Tyler Neslony singled to right, and Barrios just beat the throw home to put Tech up 1-0.

It would end up being Tech’s offensive highlight.

UT starter Parker French (4-2) took advantage of the run support to pitch seven strong innings, scattering six hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He allowed just five total baserunners after the first inning, and only once did he allow more than one in an inning, and that threat was squashed with a double play.

“Once he got those four runs he started to become more effective, and when we added two then he became even more effective,” Garrido said. “Still, there was a luck factor in all this. They hit some balls well that were caught and turned into outs. That’s just the luck of it all.”

Unfortunately for Tech, it’s been their luck the in each of its first three Big 12 series. Tech struggled to win one game at Baylor after losing Friday but came back this past weekend with two wins in the final two days against TCU.

Tech will turn to junior left-hander Cameron Smith to try to stem the tide on Saturday after he was successful in doing so against the Horned Frogs last week. Winning twice to win a series, however, is a dangerous way to play in the Big 12, especially if Texas is going to pitch and hit like it did on Friday.

“We’ve got enough to concern ourselves with for Texas Tech and not worry too much about Texas right now,” Tadlock said. “We’ve got to come out and play the game the right way.”